Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS – Get Free Report) was the target of unusually large options trading on Thursday. Stock traders purchased 26,930 call options on the stock. This is an increase of approximately 63% compared to the typical volume of 16,516 call options.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
Several equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Morgan Stanley from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. UBS Group cut their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $260.00 to $236.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday. Rothschild & Co Redburn lifted their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $183.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 25th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $225.00 to $250.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, July 16th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $187.00 to $195.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $219.43.
Hedge Funds Weigh In On Morgan Stanley
Key Morgan Stanley News
Here are the key news stories impacting Morgan Stanley this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley’s proposed conversion of eight Eaton Vance municipal-bond mutual funds, holding nearly $10 billion, into ETFs could support fee-based asset growth, improve product appeal and strengthen the firm’s wealth- and investment-management platform. Shareholder approval is required. Morgan Stanley ETF conversion article
- Positive Sentiment: Jim Cramer expressed support for Morgan Stanley following its pullback, citing the company’s buyback authorization as a reason investors may view the shares favorably. Jim Cramer supports Morgan Stanley
- Positive Sentiment: Unusually active call-option buying indicates that some traders are positioning for a rebound, although options activity is not a direct indicator of fundamental value.
- Neutral Sentiment: Analysts maintain a generally constructive view: the stock carries an average price target near $219.90, implying meaningful upside from recent trading levels, but the consensus is mixed with buy, hold and sell ratings. Morgan Stanley analyst price target article
- Negative Sentiment: Erste Group downgraded Morgan Stanley from Buy to Hold, while TD Cowen initiated coverage with a Hold rating and a $210 price target. These actions may have reinforced profit-taking and reduced the impact of more bullish views.
- Negative Sentiment: Investors are also preparing for the next earnings report. Although Morgan Stanley recently delivered a substantial EPS and revenue beat, Zacks said the company lacks the combination of factors that typically supports another likely earnings surprise, increasing caution ahead of results. Morgan Stanley earnings expectations
- Negative Sentiment: Broader market weakness, including declines in major technology and industrial stocks, likely added pressure to financial shares. Morgan Stanley’s beta of 1.22 also makes it more sensitive than the broader market to risk-off trading.
Morgan Stanley Stock Down 1.2%
Shares of NYSE:MS opened at $187.52 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.65. Morgan Stanley has a 52-week low of $151.84 and a 52-week high of $232.25. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $207.95 and its 200-day simple moving average is $202.85. The company has a market capitalization of $295.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.16, a P/E/G ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 1.22.
Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 15th. The financial services provider reported $3.46 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.89 by $0.57. The firm had revenue of $21.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $19.67 billion. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 19.31% and a net margin of 15.65%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 27.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.13 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Morgan Stanley will post 12.68 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Morgan Stanley Increases Dividend
The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 31st were paid a dividend of $1.15 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, July 31st. This represents a $4.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.5%. This is an increase from Morgan Stanley’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.00. Morgan Stanley’s dividend payout ratio is 37.19%.
Morgan Stanley announced that its board has initiated a stock buyback program on Wednesday, June 24th that permits the company to buyback $20.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the financial services provider to purchase up to 5.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.
About Morgan Stanley
Morgan Stanley is a global financial services firm serving corporations, governments, financial institutions, individuals and other investors. The company provides investment banking and advisory services, including mergers and acquisitions advice, equity and debt underwriting, securities sales and trading, and corporate lending.
Through its Wealth Management business, Morgan Stanley offers financial planning, brokerage, investment advisory and banking services to individual investors, businesses and institutions.
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